How to shoot a fairy tale

Join me onto a walk into the autumn night. You can already hear the call of the enchanted forest. The owls announce the magic that is about to happen, the birth of a new fairy tale.

The days are getting shorter and the forest floor already turned into a carpet of colorful autumn leaves, some leaves still cling to the trees. Darkness falls in quickly, while I head deep into the dark forest. My backpack loaded with a camera, a tripod and a strong flashlight. But wait, don’t hurry! At these magical moments, time is your best friend. It takes some effort to look at the world through different eyes. Adapt to the light, adapt to the hidden beauty. I’m sure it here, somewhere.

Take care to find the best spot. Guided by imagination, I search for the scene that already exist in my mind, but still lays hidden under the blanket of darkness. These enchanted sceneries are scarce, so we need to venture deep into the woods. I set up my tripod carefully, searching that perfect frame. One step to the left or the right and the magic wouldn’t work. Preparation is key to enter this hidden fairy tale world.

I dial in my camera settings. The flashlight in hand is my brush, the light the paint and the scene that sits in darkness is my canvas.

Now I’m standing here in the dark, painting the light on the old oak trees. Brush stoke after brushstroke the most beautiful image appears right in front of my eyes. But only revealing a glimp at the time. It’s hard to imagine how the camera captures all this light, recording and remembring all the brush strokes that I make. Merging them into one single image. Minutes captured as a single moment. The camera really sees things differently.

And while I transform my single hand held flashlight into a wide range of softboxes, spots and floodlights, of any size or shape, enchantment enfolds. No other lighting technique has this power to create such a complex light composition. That’s the magic of light painting photography. That’s how to create a fairy tale.

My goal was simple: to tell a hidden story, a fairy tale that was already there, waiting to be discovered, waiting to be told. It felt like it was coming to life right in front of me, all thanks to the brush strokes of my flashlight. Like magic, turning the ordinary scene into a world of wonder. Stretching time and bringing my fantasy alive. At these magical moments I feel like sorcerer playing with light and shadows.

And also you can become a such creator! Also you can turn the ordinary into something out of this world and create your own fairy tales. Just have a look at the Light Painting Photography Masterclass and discover the power of your flashlight. So join me into the enchanted forest and learn how to look at the world through different eyes.